Resident asks Ashland board to allow rooster or turkey after hawk attacks on backyard chickens

Jeff Lane, a resident who gave his address as 511 North Henry Clay, described repeated hawk attacks that have killed chickens in his backyard and asked the Board of Aldermen whether the city would allow him to keep "either a male rooster or a male turkey to help protect the flock."

Councilmembers and staff discussed options. One councilmember said a rooster can deter hawks but warned about neighborhood noise; another suggested that a male turkey would be treated as livestock and would require reclassification. City staff advised that the easiest route, if the board does not change code, would be to file a variance application with the Board of Adjustment so neighbors could be notified and the matter considered at a public hearing: "There's what's called a variance application to the board adjustment, where they get to hear whether or not the variance will be granted," staff said.

Neighbors and other residents who spoke urged practical deterrents. A nearby resident recommended adding four-foot-high sheets of metal around the run and a solid lid on top, demonstrating low-cost ways to prevent hawks from reaching the birds. Staff and residents described deterrent measures already tried — reflective spinners, pinwheels, CDs and netting — and noted hawks can push beneath netting and pull birds through mesh.

The board did not change the city code at the meeting. Staff encouraged the Lane household to try stronger physical barriers and explained the variance application process as the path if they wish to seek permission to keep a rooster or turkey without a code change.

What happens next: Staff suggested residents may pursue a variance from the Board of Adjustment or pursue structural deterrents; any formal change to city code would require board action in a future meeting.